Can a coffee mug inspire?

This one does. It inspires a job done right and being a good neighbor.Hess Industries Ltd, an recipient of many awards and recognition in business, focuses on solving problems associated with tooling issues from design to maintenance. Founded and led by Mark Hess, an incredible leader in the community. We know Mark through Chris’ time in manufacturing. At one point during a visit to his s…

The Right Boots

Hunter came by the store a few weeks ago looking for new boots.“How long have you had those?” We knew by looking at them that they weren’t from our store.“Four months.” He was clearly upset. “What do you do?” “ I finish trailers, [including] putting wheels and tires on... my feet are killing me by the end of the day.”While speaking with Hunter, Chris, from TeamBootLife, was inspecting his boots a…

What Year is That?

A weathered red truck grill hangs on the wall behind the cash counter, and it always gets attention. Different guy, different year, always the same question.“What year is that?”A few weeks before the store was to open, Chris, Holly and the kids stopped at a yard sale not really expecting to find much but when they walked up the hill of the front yard, there it was in the grass. Holly was i…

Boot Camp Announcement

Hello to all of you amazing people living The Boot Life®! Chase the Intern here, writing my first-ever blog post! It has been an incredibly exciting experience working here at The Boot Life, LLC, and I wanted to thank all of you for blessing me with such an awesome experience so far.Now, down to business! I am excited to share that YouTube content will start rolling out every Wednesday! We ha…

Thankful for Jim

“That’s my Holly girl!” These were the first words Jim Oberlin of Oberlin Properties said to me as Chris & I entered what was an empty retail location.I had previously worked at a bank, and he had been one of my business customers. He recognized me and that set me at ease.  You guys know part of the story – we took the location. The other part of the story is that Jim took us. Jim:…

​7 Reasons to Shop Mom & Pops this Holiday Season

1) Staff are happy to be there. It’s a special type of person that works at a Mom & Pop. Their goal is to make your life easier, and they come to work excited about who they get to help that day.2) The place of business won’t look like a rummage sale just happened. Instead, items are orderly and easy to find. Did you know clean and orderly spaces reduce stress?3) You'll be speaking to…